Whisper of Wind
by fanta-faerie
Summary: It was their wedding day. They were supposed to have forever, because she was his forever. But forever ended. And it was never going to come back.


_"Tomorrow, love, only tomorrow, and we'll be together." Sirius grinned, hugging her close to him._

_"Forever." She reminded him. "We'll be together forever." _

_He laughed. "How could I forget? We'll never have to be apart…"_

_"We'll never have to be afraid…" She continued._

_"We'll be married." He finished. Then, with a huge sigh, he leaned back, his back rubbing into the hard bark of the oak tree. "This time tomorrow, you'll be Mrs. Sirius Black." _

_She laughed excitedly. "I know. I know!" _

_His smile gentled, became softer, more loving. "And you'll be mine forever. I love you, love."_

_She sighed happily, snuggling into his chest. "I love you too."_

_--_

_"But I don't want you to leave." He pouted, pulling a puppy dog face. "I want you to stay with me." _

_"On the night before our wedding." She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "In your dreams Black."_

_"Oh, I dream all right." He said, leering suggestively at her. _

_She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm going back to Lily's house. Besides, she needs help with Harry, because James has no idea what to do with diapers!" _

_He chuckled. "That's James for you. I promise I'll be a better father to our ten children." _

_"Once again, in your dreams, Black." She grinned, softening the statement. "Ten children or no, I'd be surprised if you were able to put a single kid of ours to sleep on time."_

_"Oh really?" He asked, sitting up from his slump on the couch, the familiar light of competition entering his gray eyes. "Wanna bet?" _

_She laughed. "No bet. You've already lost!" And with a final chuckle, she left, a whisper of rose scented wind whispering in her wake._

_--_

Sirius straightened his collar, fixed his tie and still didn't feel right. What was wrong?

His hair.

He smoothed it down for the umpteenth time, letting a single lock fall into his gray eyes and turned, once again, to examine himself.

It still didn't feel quite right.

With a sigh, Sirius opened his closet and started to root through his numerous belongings. A quill, a girl's hair clip, a book, a fake wand, many things fell out of his closet.

There was a crash in his front room.

He started, immediately tensed, and stood still for a moment before grabbing his wand and cautiously opening the door. There was another crash, and he stiffened.

Death Eaters?

Then someone ran into the hallway, and Sirius relaxed, tossing his wand back into the room as he caught sight of James.

But James didn't stop in his run towards him. He crashed into him, his eyes half crazy.

"Padfoot, Padfoot, D'you know? Did you hear?"

"What?"

For the first time, James seemed to take in Sirius's tuxedo, his air of utter happiness, his love for the girl he was to marry.

"Damn." He whispered. "Damn it all. You don't know. You don't know." James stepped back, all wildness gone. He ran a hand through his hair distractedly, staring at his best mate with water starting in the corners of his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked him urgently, shaking him by the shoulders. "What happened? Is someone hurt? Is it Lily? Harry?"

James stared at him, his face creased with sorrow and pity. "She's…she's dead, Padfoot. She's dead."

Sirius reeled back in shock. "Lily's…dead?" He asked hoarsely. "She died?"

James slowly shook his head, heart hurting for his closest friend. "Not Lily. No, not Lily. She's dead." He looked into Sirius's gray eyes, willing him to understand, not wanting to say the name aloud.

Suddenly Sirius's face drained of all color. He took a step back, not believing what he was hearing. "No." He said, his voice fading. "No. That can't be true. She was here…she was here last night. She can't be…don't lie to me, damn it!" He struck James across his face, hitting his best friend for the first time in his life.

James barely even noticed through the tears streaming down his face. "I'm sorry, Padfoot. I'm so, so sorry."

"No." Sirius whispered. Then, stronger. "No! No! Get out, James, get out! GET OUT!"

And James left, disapparated away, wishing with all his heart that it hadn't been true, that he could have possibly been lying, to spare his best friend all the pain.

"No." Sirius muttered to himself. "NO!" He grabbed his hair with his hands and pulled, yanking, and sunk to the floor, utterly deranged.

It couldn't be true.

She couldn't be gone.

She was so vital, so alive.

It wasn't possible.

Then he stood up, all emotions gone, a tiny bud of hope flaring in his chest. He would prove James wrong. She was alive. He knew it. He disapparated, appearing in her flat, three miles away.

"Love?" He called out, moving quietly from the front room. "Love, where are you?"

There was no answer.

He moved forward, entering her kitchen. And he caught sight of a rose, an everlasting rose, enchanted to never die, sitting in a crystal vase at the center of her dining room table.

He moved forward, and reached out slowly, to touch it. With an intake of breath, he pulled back, and glanced at his finger.

A tiny bud of blood blossomed on his finger, dark, deep, red.

And with the blood, came reality. It crashed down on him, immersing him in its depths.

She was dead.

She was gone.

He couldn't stand to be there anymore, he ran to her room. Her white wedding dress lay on the bed, glittering and pure.

The veil lay draped across a chair, the veil he would never get to lift, would never see concealing his beloved's face.

He sank once again to the floor, and buried his face in the rose-scented whiteness, eyes screwed tight, squeezing hard to prevent the tears falling.

And he sank into sorrow, into sadness, into pure grief. He sank into the blackness, the blankness, the never ending pain.

He didn't resurface.

--

**Woah. Weird. I dunno where this came from (I mean, do I ever?) but I think it's a good idea…I don't know if I conveyed his pain well enough, though, and this probably isn't one of my better fics…oh well. And for you Autumn readers out there, recognize that rose?? Well, if you don't, you will!! So, once again, the girl can be Autumn, it can't be, whatever you want. I leave it up to the reader's imagination!!**

**Please review!!**

**Fanta-Faerie**


End file.
